By: Sarina D. (’20)
February 14th, 2018 will go down as the most memorable Valentine’s Day in American history – and not for its record chocolate and flower sales. Our nation will mark every Valentine’s day from now as another year passed since one of the most devastating and large-scale school shootings in our country’s history. It will mark another year passed since 19-year- old Nikolas Cruz hopped in an Uber on a warm Florida morning, headed to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and pulled out an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to execute what would be one of the most infamous school shootings in global history. And most importantly, it will mark another year passed since seventeen families were robbed of their loved ones, and since seventeen students and faculty members were suddenly robbed of their lives and futures in the midst of a regular school day.

By: Marlena B. (’20)
It’s no secret that track is a stressful sport. Most people have likely heard their friends complaining endlessly about the races, the training and all the pain and stress that goes along with it. So why do these people come back year after year despite these challenges? How do they deal with the stress to compete successfully? I decided to interview some current track members to find out.

By: Caitlin R. (’20)
I don’t know about you, but for the past few weeks I have been desperately trying to find time to watch at least half of the nine nominees for Best Picture, a difficult task considering Crystal’s workload. While I don’t consider myself a movie fanatic, I do always love filling out a ballot for the Oscars and competing with my family to see who can guess the most wins. In past years, I’ve watched zero to one of the movies, and my goal was to have more knowledge about the movies this year. For those like me who don’t have time to watch all nine movies before the Oscars, which are this Sunday the 4th, hopefully this article will help with providing some general info (and some controversies, of course) about the movies up for Best Picture.

By: Caitlin R. (’20)
You’ve probably heard of fitness fads like spinning classes, hot yoga, and other exercises made into classes in fun, artsy environments. People who go to these classes claim to be addicted and praise them to no end. And, while there’s probably some truth to these allegations of greatness, classes like SoulCycle and Bikram Yoga come with a high price tag. A 45 minute SoulCycle class is $32, while a 90 minute Bikram Yoga class is $25. Although these classes are definitely fun and beneficial, are they really anything more than normal fitness classes made to look trendy?

By: Sarina D. (’19)
Most of us are familiar with the term alliance group, and have seen or participated in some form of this specialized type of community through organizations such as the Gender Sexuality Alliance or a culture club. In the past few decades, alliance groups have been normalized in American high schools and communities, and are becoming increasingly prevalent and diversified across the board. Crystal is no exception. Our campus is home to a variety of alliance groups, from GSA to Asian Culture Club to French Club, and we utilize these spaces to bring together people with a common commitment to an identifier group, e.g race, gender, religion, family status. In essence, an alliance group is a place for members of said group and people who support and stand in solidarity with that group to advocate for its benefits.

By: Max D. (’18)
In August of 2016, the University of Chicago sent a letter to its incoming freshman plainly stating that the college would not support or encourage ‘trigger warnings’ or ‘safe spaces’. The university asserted that allowing students to shape the school’s curriculum away from material that was controversial or uncomfortable would hamper the freedom given to their professors to pursue ideas and challenge established thought.

By: Amy Z. (’19)
Winter wonderlands and the “happiest time of the year” don’t have to guarantee sniffles and sore throats, Kleenex and cough syrup. This winter, try these 5 simple strategies to avoid getting sick.

By: Meghna M. (‘21)
In the midst of tests, homework, and other stressful items popping up on our calendars, we know that Crystal students are always finding new ways to procrastinate. What better way to put off work for as long as possible than starting your next favorite TV show? To help speed up the process of choosing which show to watch next, I’ve come up with a list of the top five TV shows on Netflix to binge watch as procrastination.

By: Sarina D. (’19)
2017 was an exceptionally eventful year- from political chaos on the international stage and at home, to new cultural movements and trends, to natural disasters and natural phenomenons- newscasters never saw a dull day while Americans purposefully tapped into social media and the news like never before. As we kick off a new year of new goals, trends, and hopes, it is important to look back at the events which defined and dominated the past year. So, in no particular order, here are ten of the most significant events of 2017.